Vessel for beverages



(No Model.)

J. M. VAN FLEET. vEssEL EoE BEVERAGES.

No. 505,073 Patented Sept. 12, 1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN M. VAN FLEET, OF KENTON, OHIO.

VESSEL FOR BEVERAGES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 505,073, datedSeptember 12, 1893. Application filed December 6, 1892. Serial No.454,275- (No model.)

. To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN M. VAN FLEET, a

citizen of the United States of America, residages, of which thefollowing is a specification,

reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in vessels adapted for storing,transporting, and handling gaseous beverages, particularly beer; and inthe main it has reference to the mechanism employed for excluding airfrom the interior of the vessel and for maintaining a practicallyuniform gas-pressure on the beverage in the vessel while the beverage isbeing withdrawn in large or small quantities.

The invention will first be described in connection with theaccompanying drawings, and then pointed out in the claims.

Figure l is a vertical sectional View of a vessel embodying myimprovements, showing means for depressing the follower by air or waterpressure. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line moo, Fig. 1,showing the removable spider for supporting the followeroperatingmechanism. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line y y, Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a metallic cylinder, closed atthe bottom and open at the top. The bottom B is secured in placepreferably by pressing a flange 1 on it over a flange 2 on the cylinder.In order to avoid oxidation of the metal and to give a smooth surface,the inner side of the cylinder should be enameled.

To avoid the liability of injury to the cylinder while being handled intransportation I prefer to provide it with wooden staves O on the outerside, which are secured thereon by hoops D. The outer surface of thecylinder is not entirely covered by the staves, they being so placed asto leave spaces 3 between them. WVere the cylinder surrounded entirelyby the staves the latter would materially retard the cooling of thebeverage in the vessel by the cold air in the cooling-room orrefrigerator; but by leaving these spaces between the staves the coldair comes directly in contact with the cylinder.

To keep the beverage in the vessel fresh of course the air must beexcluded; and to regulate the pressure of the carbonic-acid gas inherentin beer and some'other beverages means must be provided for varying thespace within which the beverage is confinedthat is to say, to diminishthat space as the beverage is drawn while on tap. For these purposes(excluding the air and regulating the gas-pressure) I have devised afollower of peculiar construction, which will now be fully described. Eis the follower, which consists of a disk d, having a short distancefrom its outer edge a rim 1', which has inward-projecting lugs 4 atsuitable intervals, bolt-holes 5 being formed in these lugs.

Around the rim 4" and bearing on the disk (Z is placed a packing 6 ofrubber or other suitable material, which is held in position, andadjusted as regards outward expansion by means of a compressing-ring 0,provided with inward-projecting lugs 7, having bolt-holes 8 adapted toregister with the bolt-holes 5 in the lugs 4. Bolts 9, having nuts 10,serve to adjustably attach the compressing-ring c to the disk 61. Itwill be observed that the compressing-ring serves not only to properlydistend the packing 6, but also to give a prolonged bearing to thefollower, so that it cannot be canted out of its true position. F is apipe, one end of which is screwed into a spider G, by which it issupported centrally within the cylinder, the spider being held removablyin the cylinder by means of a series of spring-keys H, which passthrough slots 11 in the cylinder and against which the top side of thespider-arms abut. When the cylinder is provided with staves, the latterare so positioned as not to cover the key-openings 11, as shown in Fig.2. On the outer end of pipe F is secured a reducer f, with which tocouple the'connections of a pump P to force air or water into the pipeto actuate the piston. I is a piston, fitted within the tube F, andprovided with a rod J, which is supported by an inward turned flange 12on the inner end of pipe F, which flange also serves to prevent thepiston from passing through that end of the pipe; and on the lower endof rod J there is secured a metal plate K, designed to bear on disk 01,and thereby distribute the pressure exerted on the disk by the pistonand its rod, so as to avoid springing of the disk, for it will beunderstood that the follower is designed to be made of comparativelythin metal. It will be apparent that when the cylinder is first filledwith beer, and before the spider has been introduced, the follower Ewould bear against the keys H, thereby interfering with the introductionof spider G. To avoid this I provide the cylinder with another set ofslots 13, into which are inserted the follower-retaining keys h, thedistance between the two sets of keys H and It being equal to or alittle more than the depth of the spider. ping-spout, which is adaptedto hold the bung when the cylinder is filled, or to receive the end ofthe faucet when the beverage is on draft.

The operation of my apparatus is as follows: The spring-keys h and Hbeing removed and the follower E withdrawn, the cylinder may be cleaned,after which the follower is replaced and the spring-keys h inserted tohold it in place. The cylinder is then-filled with the beverage throughthe tapping-spout, and the bung driven in. Springkeys H may be theninserted into their respective slots. The beverage is then ready forcooling and storage or shipment. When it is desired to withdraw theliquid, as is usual when on tap, the spider is inserted beneath thespring-keys H, the pump connected to reducer f, and the cylinder tappedas usual. Pressure being now applied to the follower F by means of thepump, the liquid is forced out through the faucet as desired.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with a' cylinder open at one end and closed andprovided with a tap-spout at the other end, of a follower fittedair-tight in the cylinder, unattached means for moving the followerforward, and removable stops for limiting the backward movement of thefollower.

2. The combination, with a cylinder open at one end and closed andprovided with a I tap-spout at the other end, of a follower fittedair-tight in the cylinder and comprising. a disk having a rim near itsedge and inwardprojecting lugs on the rim, an elastic packing on theouter side of the rim, a compressingring bearing on the packing andhaving in- L is a cone-shaped tapward-projecting lugs, bolts passedthrough the lugs on the rim and ring, and nuts on the bolts, unattachedmeans for moving the follower forward, and removable stops for limitingthe backward movement of the follower.

3. The combination, with a cylinder open at one end and closed andprovided with a tap'sp'out at the other end, said cylinder having twoseries ofslots near its open end, of a follower fitted air-tight in thecylinder, a spider movable in the cylinder, a rod supported by thespider and adapted to move the follower forward, means for operating therod, and two series of spring-keys removably fitted in the slots in thecylinder, one series serving as a bearing for the spider and the otherseries serving to limit the rearward movement of the follower.

t. A receptacle for gaseous beverages,comprisingametalcylindersurrounded bywooden staves placed so as to leaveopen spaces between them, said cylinder being open at one end and closedand provided with a tap-spout at the other end, in combination with afollower fitted air-tight in the cylinder, unattached means for movingthe follower forward, and removable keys passed through slots in thecylinder, near its outer end, for limiting the backward movement of thefollower, said slots being located between the staves.

5. The combination, with a cylinder open at one end and closed andprovided with a tap-spout at the other end, said cylinder having twoseries of slots near its open end, of a follower fitted air-tight in thecylinder, a spider movable in the cylinder, a pipe secured at one end inthe spider and having an inward-projecting flange, a piston in the pipe,

a rod secured to the piston and carrying a plate adapted to bear againstthe follower, a pump connected to the pipe above the piston, and twoseries of spring-keys located removably inthe slots in the cylinder, oneseries of said keys serving as a bearing for the spider and the otherseries serving to limit the backward movement of the follower.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

J. M. VAN FLEET.

Witnesses:

HENRY E. CooPER, M. O. MASSIE.

IOO

